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Norroena Society History

The Norroena Society consists of a group of men and women who are devoted to the advancement of the Sedian Asatru/Odinist way of life and its understanding. Since we began rebuilding this noble organization we have worked diligently to bring forth a body of research worthy of our movement, while at the same time seeking to bring our folk together in a way that will move us into the future. Over the years we have published books, made videos, written essays, taught classes, spoken at universities, and much more. Our goal is to serve as the vanguard for cultural studies into this way of life, and to share our knowledge with the rest of our faith-community. It is imperative that we overcome the tendency to rely on outsiders to present the materials that we would base our religious lives on. This is why we are so adamant in our venture, and why we will always be working towards the goals we have set for this organization.

The Society is a reconstruction of its predecessor, which was founded by Rasmus B. Anderson in 1896, although some sources say it was founded by King Oscar II of Norway and Sweden. The organization was designed to bring forth an intellectual overview of classical Scandinavian literature and did so by publishing a series of books, called The Norroena Library. The organization claimed to have a great deal of members in different chapters found in London, Stockholm, Copenhagen, New York, and Berlin. While in these different areas the Society name was sometimes changed, such as in England where it became The Anglo-Saxon Society, the ideals and goals remained the same. The idea was to create a “federation of Anglo-Nordic men of letters,” which would help to bring studies into this culture to the same level as that of ancient Greek civilization.

Rasmus Anderson was the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark and founding head of the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Anderson dedicated his life to the promotion of his ancestral heritage, being the son of U.S. immigrants from Rogaland, Norway. He wrote serious research into the Viking discovery of America in his book America Not Discovered by Columbus (1874) and was the originator of the movement to have Leif Erikson Day made a federally recognized holiday in the United States.

The books put out by The Norroena Society included many of Anderson’s own translations. The collection totaled sixteen texts, and was even featured in the presidential library of Theodore Roosevelt. Among the volumes were Saga translations, including Njal’s Saga and the Saga of the Volsungs, the Elder

Eddas, Heimskringla, and various other source materials. Also were the original works of researchers including Anderson, George Webbe Dasent, and Viktor Rydberg, the latter of whom was also translated by Anderson. It is Rydberg’s work that is of primary interest to the current incarnation of the Society.

In 2005, Mark Puryear and his wife, Katia, set out to re-establish The Norroena Society as a new standard in educating the Asatru/Odinist community about the ways of our ancestors. The work began with Mark’s intensive study of the massive investigations of Dr. Viktor Rydberg, who laid out a blueprint for reconstructing the sacred lore of the North. Because Rydberg’s books were a part of the original Norroena Library, and because such a valuable work would likely not have been discovered by an English speaking audience if it were not for Rasmus Anderson’s translations, the Puryears decided to honor this by rebuilding the Society— with permission from Anderson’s estate, of course— for the modern era.

But studying the myths would not be the only facet of this heritage that would be focused on. After years of seeing book after book come out which followed a typical formula for rituals/gods/runes, the idea was to break away from the mold of trying to fit an entire culture into one text. The ways of our ancestors are much too vast for so simple an undertaking.

From this came the Fundamentals Project, where our traditions and ideals would be categorized and systematically researched so as to create a broader understanding in this field of ethnic research. From there came ideas of building Circle teams to establish the investigative projects which would help us move forward with everything we are doing. The rest, as they say, is history.

We feel that we have built a foundation that will allow our folk to grow and thrive using a platform that promotes creativity, intelligence, and a higher standard for our way of life. There is nothing we cannot accomplish, and no project will be too large or too small if it benefits our people and we are capable. Our motto became “Hearts in the Past, Minds on the Present, Eyes on the Future,” to show that we are not only celebrating our ancestors, but we live in the modern age and know that we must work hard to create a better world for our descendants. Then came the Griffin, a symbol that has puzzled many in the Heathen community because it is of Greek and Eurasian origin. When Rasmus Anderson published his Norroena Library, he included at the front of every book an imprint that he had drawn himself. At the bottom of this imprint was a shield embossed with the letters ‘NS’ for ‘Norroena Society,’ surrounded by two griffins. This is the closest thing we ever found to an actual logo for the Society, and so the Griffin became our mascot. Our own rendition of this imprint can be seen at the front of this, and every Norroena Society book.

Our work continues to grow, more and more people are asking to join us as they see our organization progress. You do not need to be a scholar or an “expert” in order to join us, you simply need the will and the desire to create something better for our people. Come be a part of building a new legacy: for yourself, for your family, and for your folk.